Where We Ride

Wednesday evening rides meet at the Shepherd & Shepherdess in Beamish, Chester le Street at 7:00 for a 7:15 start. Ride length depends largely on the time of the year and weather conditions and range from a relatively short loop of Waldridge Fell or longer rides going over to the Lanchester Valley or the longer still over to the Metrocentre and Derwent Walk cycle path.

All Wednesday evening rides aim to finish back at Beamish at 9:30. The pace can be brisk at times with some fairly tough hill climbs but we never leave anybody behind (well at least not intentionally).

It is advisable to bring water proofs, energy bars and tools for fixing punctures and mechanicals, although there is always help close at hand. Riding is off-road as much as possible and makes use of the Coast to Coast route between Fatfield and Consett to get to the more interesting areas of riding.

In the winter months a good set of bike lights are essential and basically the brighter and the bigger the battery the better, needing to have a minimum of 3 hours burn time and 10W of light. Rear flashing Led’s are also required for spotting fellow riders and staying legal on the inevitable sections of road that link the rides up. Afterwards why not follow-on up to the Beamish Mary at No Place for a well earned pint.

We have two rides each Sunday. 9am Away Ride : These rides generally meets at a number of departure points (so check the programme !) and can be anywhere in Weardale, the Pennines, Borders, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland, North York Moors or even the Lake District. Ride length will be typically anywhere from 20 to 35 miles. It is advisable to speak to the main contact on Saturday night to check the form for the next day, since late changes to the advertised ride can occur due to the weather or abilities etc. This also helps if you intend to drive directly to the meeting point. Virtually all the Sunday rides have a lunch stop built in (normally in a pub, so bring some beer and food money too). The 9am rides are intended to be a full day out returning tired, but exhilarated, to Springwell by 5pm.

The 10am ride meets at the Shepherd and Shepherdess, Beamish and cover a similar area to that described above for the Wednesday night rides and be of 2 to 3 hours duration. These rides are intended to be of a more moderate pace and are for those who don't want a full day’s ride and new members to get a feel for the club.